Improvement in piano-tuning pins



Patented June 30,1874.

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7 egg? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

MATTHEV DELANEY, OF NE YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-TUNING PINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 152,470, dated June 30,1874; application filed May s, 1874.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW DELANEY, of the city and county of New York,in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvement inPianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

It is customary in the construction or pianos to secure the ends of thestrings to what are called the tuning-pins, which are simple metallicpins, the lower ends of which are generally formed with a shallowscrew-thread, and driven firmly into the wooden support, and in tuningthe piano it is usual to turn these pins bodily with the tuning-key.Thus made and operated, in tuning the piano, the pins have to be turnedin and out, (as every tuner and manufacturer knows,) and the result isthat the pins arc apt to become slightly loosened in their seats orbearings in the wood into which they are screwed.

This evil it has been sought to remedy by appliances intended to avoidany back movementfof the pins, and designed at the same time toy enablethe tuner to turn the pin with such accuracy and minuteness of motion asto render unnecessary any letting` back of the string; but all suchcontrivances have so far, I believe, proved impracticable, for thereason, among others, that there is not room in the usual and necessaryarrangement of the pins for the additional mechanism employed.

I propose by my invention to attord a means by which, withoutinterfering' at all with the present arrangement of the tuning-pins, andwithout any complication of mechanism, -the tuner may turn the pin towhich the string is secured back and forth, as usual, with his keywithout ever unscrewing (or turning out) the screw-1ike shank of saidpin, which enters and is held fast in the wooden bed piece or support;and to this end and object my invention consists in making the tuningpins in two parts, so constructed and combined as to turn one upon theother, and also both together on. the same (vertical) axis of motion,and so that in turning one part on the other (to wind up the string, forinstance) the part turned cannot recede,while to permit any recession,both parts of the pin have to be turned and the shank be screwed intoits seat in the wooden support, all as will be hereinafter more fullyexplained; and my invention further consists in certain improvements inthe details of construction of the kind of tuning-pin just alluded to,as will be hereinafter more fully described.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to more fully describe the construction and operation of myimproved tuning-pin for pianos, referring by letters to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is an elevation, Fig. .i a top view, Fig. 3a vertical section, (at a" x, Fig. 2,) and Fig. 4 a horizontal section,(at the line g/ y ot' Fig. 1,) of one of luy improved tuning-pins. AtFig. 5 is illustrated in horizontal section a modification to bepresently explained.

In the several figures I have designated the several parts by the sameletter of reference.

A represents the shank or main portion of my duplex pin. This shank A ismade, as seen, with a line lett-handed screw-thread cut in its lowerportion, and is adapted to enter and hold fast in the usual woodensupport or bed-piece B. Near the middle of the shank A is formed aratchetwheel or disk portion, c, (for purposes to be presentlyexplained,) and near its top is cnt or turned in it an annular groove,d, in which lies the string or wire c of the piano when strung up on thetuning-pin. F is the upper part of the device, which, as seen, consistsot' ahollowstud adapted to tit over and surround the upper portion ot'the shank A, and to receive and hold, in a hole, f, made through it, thewire or string c, which is wound thereon in the manner in which thestring' is usually wound on the turning-pin. The base of this part F ismade of such shape and size as to encircle or incase the ratchetwheel ortoothed disk portion c ot' the shank A, and is provided with tworadially-sliding fingers or pawl pieces, t' i, (see Fig. 4,) which arepressed inward or toward the center ot' said ratchetwheel by anencircling spring band, m, arranged in the periphery of the base orcase-like portion of thc part F, and interlock or engage with the teethof said wheel c or ratchet-disk.

The operation of the device or contrivance j ust described will beunderstood to be as follows: rlhe lower screw-threaded portion of theshank A bein firmly inserted or screwed into the wooden supporting-pieceB, as usual, and the top portion F being adjusted or placed on the saidshank A, as seen, the wire or string c has its end passed through theeye or hole f ot part F, and is wound upon the latter, as illustrated.The eye or hole f passes through the part F a little to one side ot' itscenter, and at such an elevation or point that when the wire c is passedthrough said hole it will pass into the annular channel d, formed in theupper part of shank A. This passage of the wire c through said groove dof the shank A eil'ects a perfect retention ot the parts A and Ftogether endwise, while they are permitted to movey circumt'erentiallyor to rotate one on the other. It will be understood, now, thatin orderto tighten up or wind up the wire or string e it is only necessary toapply the usual turningkey to the top ot' the part F and turn it in theusual manner, by which turning of the key the part F will be rotatedupon the shank A, the pawl-tingers yi i' ot' the said part F engagingwith the teeth of the ratchet portion c of the now stationary shank Aand preventing said part F i'rom returning or turning back under thestrain ot' the string. In order to let back or render less taut thestring or wire c, the key is turned \in the opposite direction tothatjust supposed; but as the part F cannot turn backward on the shankA, but is locked, in this direction, to the ratchet portion c of saidshank by the pawl-tingers yi i, it tollows that the whole device willnow be turned together or bodily backward and the string be thusloosened. As the thread on the shank A is left handed, it follows thatin thus bodily turniu g the whole lixture backward the shank A will beonly the more tightly screwed into the wooden base or bed piece l).Since, then, the turning ofthe tuning-key in one direction can only turnthe pait F on the shank A, and the. turning of said key in thc otherdirection only can turn the shank A, in the manner explained, iti'ollows that under no circumstances will the shank A be ever unscrewedany, and hence no tendency to loosen the pin in its seat in they plate Bcan ever occur. The screw otl the shank A will be always entering-never.vithdrawing.

Ot' course, in carrying out my invention, the

gist of which rests in the idea of making the pin in two parts, theupper one turning in one direction only on the other, and such otherpart so turning in the wood as to be always screwing in, the relationsot' the parts may be reversed so that the top part would turn in thereverse direction and the thread on the shank A be made right-handed inlieu ot' left, as described. And instead of the double pawl-iingers li', arranged and operating as described, a ditt'erent form of ratchetand pawls can be applied, or some other means ot interlocking the partsA and F in one direc tion ot' rotation, and having them i'ree to turn inthe other direction, may be adopted.

At Fig. 5 I have shown a means for this purpose composed ot' a simplefriction-wheel, s, hung eccentrically on a stud or pin in the base ofthe part F, and adapted to roll against and wedge onto the periphery ofa plain wheel or collar, a, formed on the shank A. It will be obviousthat numerous devicesinay be employed and devised for the purpose justexplained.

It is desirable to have the ratchet, it' one be used, made with theteeth pretty fine, but the timer is in no manner dependent upon themotions ot' the upper part F, only in the adjustment of the string,since he effects the timing by combining the motions ot1 said part Fwith a partial rotation ot' the shank A at pleasure, counteracting anyexcess ot' motion in one direction by a slight movement in the otherdirection.

Having so far explained my invention that any one skilled can make anduse it, what lV claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A tuning pin consisting ot' the shank or main portion A having thedisk or ratchet C, and the hollow stud F, provided with the pawls yi fi,constructed and arranged substantially as described.

2. A tuning-pin composed ot` two parts so combined and operatingltogether that the string may be tightened or slackened by turn ing onepart on the other, or the two parts together, substantially ashereinbet'ore set forth.

In a tuning-pin formed of two parts, one turning within the other, theannular groove d formed in one part, and the string-hole or eye]l in theother, for the purpose of effecting the retention of the parts cndwiseonly by means ot' the wire or string, substantially as set forth.

1n testimony whereof', I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 7th dayof May, 1874-.

MATTHEYV l)ELANEY. [L

In presence oim J. N. McIN'rmE. .Moon Fermin..

